ARTICLES ABOUT DEZ BRYANT BY DATE - PAGE 2

When you've been given a starting secondary with below-average talent, when the last two drafts have produced only one regular out of nine selections, when the offense forces you to be on the field longer than any other defense in the NFL, you should be graded on a curve. But Bill Davis should not get a pass for the Eagles' December meltdown, particularly over the last two games when Bradley Fletcher was torched and it seemed the defensive coordinator was the only one to not realize that a change needed to be made.

TRENT COLE'S broken left hand that propelled Brandon Graham into a starting role against the Redskins was also expected to yield outside linebacker snaps for Marcus Smith II. But once again, after the Eagles' woeful loss at last-place Washington, Smith's name was listed on the stat sheet as among those who, while dressed to play, did not enter the game. That makes seven of 15 games for which this year's first-round draft pick was either inactive or held out of action. Regarding Smith's lack of action on Saturday, Eagles coach Chip Kelly said yesterday the coaching staff "felt confident in the guys who were playing at that point in time.

ON THE DAY before Christmas, we find ourselves in a gift-giving mood. To that end, we've drawn up a list of things to hand out to players, coaches, front-office types, teams and fans. * To Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez: A door that won't hit him on the way out * To the Flyers, Sixers, Eagles and Phillies charities: A successful record-setting year that allows them to help more people than ever before. * To the Sixers: A new mascot, Thomas The Tank Engine. * To the City Six basketball coaches: A healthy thank you for your work with Coaches vs. Cancer.

LANDOVER, Md. - For six games in each of at least the next few seasons, the Eagles, barring something unforeseen, will be tasked with defending Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham Jr., or DeSean Jackson. As if it weren't obvious enough before this past weekend, Saturday's 27-24 debacle of a loss to the last-place Redskins heavily reinforced the Eagles' need to upgrade their secondary. Bradley Fletcher was torched by his man for the second time in 7 days, the third in a six-game span. "I just didn't get it done," the embattled cornerback said before leaving the visitor's locker room at FedEx Field on Saturday, about 24 hours before yesterday's Cowboys' 42-7 win over the Colts officially eliminated the 9-6 Eagles from postseason contention.

ARLINGTON, Texas - From the Eagles' standpoint, Lady Luck turned into a runaway bride before the Dallas-Indianapolis game even started Sunday, and it didn't get any better as the Cowboys won, 42-7, eliminating the Eagles from playoff contention. First, Indianapolis announced that wide receiver T.Y. Hilton would miss the game because of a hamstring injury. Then, the Colts had the Cowboys stopped on their first possession, but a taunting penalty by linebacker Jerrell Freeman kept the drive alive, leading to a Dallas touchdown.

WHEN THE Cowboys were going good in mid-November, we all said the same thing. Wait until December. They will fall apart as usual. DeMarco Murray can't hold up to that kind of workload. Tony Romo will get hurt and or try to win the game on his own. The owner will say something dumb, there will be a sense of palpable disharmony or mutiny, and we will all gleefully greet each other over the holiday season as usual, secure in the knowledge that, despite our own team's chances, Dallas' were worse.

It took the third Dez Bryant touchdown for Bill Davis to spare Bradley Fletcher further abuse and put Cary Williams exclusively on the Cowboys receiver. By that point, the Eagles were down, 35-27, and there was less than 11 minutes left in Sunday's game. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo threw only three more passes the rest of the way and the damage had already been done in an Eagles loss. Davis said he didn't think of making the move until he felt it was time to make it - after Fletcher was beaten for the last time and his technique wasn't sound.

Outside linebacker Trent Cole fractured a bone in his hand against the Cowboys on Sunday night, an NFL source said Monday. It's unclear whether the Eagles veteran will need season-ending surgery. Even if he doesn't, Cole would be a long shot to play against the Washington Redskins on Saturday. Cole was unavailable for comment after the game. Eagles coach Chip Kelly said he didn't have an update on Cole at his Monday news conference. If Cole is sidelined, Brandon Graham would start at the "Predator" outside linebacker spot opposite Connor Barwin.

WHAT SHOULD you take from Chip Kelly's declaration yesterday that Bradley Fletcher will remain a starting cornerback? Seemingly, the Eagles have resigned themselves to not having any better options, 14 games into the season. If they thought there was a move to make, they would have made it weeks ago. They were not surprised by what happened against Dallas. They were just crossing their fingers and hoping it wouldn't happen, through an effective pass rush, a sore-backed Tony Romo, or some combination thereof.

AND NOW, for any Eagles faithful, to hope and to wish. The playoff berth that seemed a fait accompli 2 weeks ago now is tenuous. After consecutive home losses in December by a relatively healthy team, a playoff berth is anything but assured. What the Eagles accomplished last night, besides wasting a monumental comeback in front of a home crowd, is that they forfeited control of their own fate. Now, they need help. But, for argument's sake, we must assume that the Lions lose at Green Bay and/or Chicago.